Leeds Ring Road Project Starts

The best concrete reinforcement Leeds has to offer will be in high demand this year as the Leeds ring road construction has been given the go ahead, after the collapse of Carillion.

Carillion, the construction giant, collapsed in January after failed attempts by its accountants to deal with its cash flow and debt problems. Carillion was the preferred bidder for £14 million of preparation work for the ring road that was due to start this spring, and despite its collapse, Leeds City Council has still failed to find a replacement contractor for the project. The Council insists work will start on the new ring road this month.

The project is estimated to come in at £126m in total, and will pay for the delivery of 7km of duel carriageway around the city centre. This funding was approved by West Yorkshire Combined Authority last month.

The proposed dual carriageway will include five new crossings, five new roundabouts and a 9.8ha country park to the east, and is expected to be completed by 2021.

The new ring road should help the city become more sustainable for all forms of traffic, said the local council.

Councillor Richard Lewis, executive member for regeneration, transport, and planning, said: “We want to ensure that city’s transport corridors are as green as possible and these plans for infrastructure improvements at junctions in north-east Leeds are certainly ambitious on that score.”

The new ring road will include new routes for pedestrians and cyclists in a bid to improve air quality in the city.